Making School Safe Again

• PRINT
• EMAIL

A woman carries her son away from Olive Elementary School in Vista, California, on May 4, 2007, after a shooting scare.

As if anyone needed reminding, the recent Virginia Tech shootings have revived the worry about the level of safety in our schools. Meanwhile, copycat threats, posted in e-mails and on bathroom walls, and reports of armed men lurking near schools have forced authorities from California to Florida to lock down campuses and cancel classes. The raw statistics reveal that such horrific incidents remain rare, but the immediate and intimate access to such news leaves administrators struggling to identify troubled students, decrease bullying, and strengthen security.

• Teacher Store
• 

  The Teacher Store

  Dawn Rochelle: Book 2, I Want to Live When 13-year-old Dawn Rochelle is diagnosed with leukemia, she's scared. While in the hospital undergoing chemotherapy, Dawn meets Sandy, who also has cancer. Dawn and Sandy battle the disease together, and remain best friends even after they both go into remission and return home. But when Sandy gets sick again, Dawn wonders what the future holds both for Sandy and herself. $4.50 Paperback Book | Grades 6-9

  
  Dawn Rochelle: Book 2, I Want to Live
  Grades 6-9 $4.50
  
• Scholastic Store
• 

  The Scholastic Store

  Phone Smart - Teaching Telephone Dial up a world of imaginative play possibilities! Great for teaching kids to call home and much more. Goes mobile with cordless handset that can be used with or without speakerphone base. Allows easy programming and recording of up to 3 personalized messages, or listen to 10 pre-recorded messages from friends around town. Challenges children to remember and repeat 3-, 4- or 5-digit sequences. Offers interactive lesson in 911 emergency procedures. For 1-4 players. 2 Volume levels. Handset requires 3 AAA batteries, not included. $39.95 toys and games;games and puzzles;games | Ages 3-5

  
  Phone Smart - Teaching Telephone
  Ages 3-5 $39.95
  

1.4 million Students ages 12–18 who were victims of nonfatal crimes at school in 2004 28 School-associated violent deaths of students ages 5–18 from July 1, 2004 through June 30, 2005 8% High school students in 2005 who were threatened or injured with a weapon on school property in the past 12 months Source: “Indicators of School Crime and Safety 2006” from the National Center on Educational Statistics

Administrator Magazine: Plugged In: The Big Picture: Ed Tech Goes Global
September 2006's Plugged In: Ed Tech Goes Global

In My Opinion: Go Directly to Jail?
Go Directly to Jail? How should you handle unruly students? Some administrators are resorting to the courts

Breathe Easy: how to make the air in your school safer
Studies have concluded that less-than-optimum temperatures and other environmental discomforts in the classroom cause distraction. Indoor air quality issues also potentially strain the school's relationship with parents, who trust the school to secure a healthy environment. Legal claims and expenses instigated by school staff may even erupt.